XRP Ledger operators are facing an amendment block event on Thursday, with 418 of 999 servers expected to be taken out of participation until they upgrade their software. According to community member Krippenreiter, these outdated rippled nodes will no longer validate ledgers, submit or process transactions, or join consensus, although trusted validators on the dUNL and overall network operations are expected to continue normally. The upgrade centers on rippled version 2.6.2 and includes the fixDirectoryLimit amendment and a critical bug fix, while XRP is down 1.5% over the last 24 hours.

Global Macro Investor's head of macro research Julien Bittel has shared on X a bitcoin "oversold RSI" roadmap that tracks BTC's average behavior after the relative strength index drops below 30, marking that breach as t=0. He noted that the current market action has so far aligned closely with the historical overlay, which points to a sharp rally within 90 days and a possible move toward the $180,000 area, while stressing the path is probabilistic and assumes the bull market has not already ended. Bittel also argued that bitcoin's traditional four-year cycle tied to halving narratives is "broken" by changes in the public debt refinancing cycle and liquidity backdrop, and he sees the current cycle potentially extending into 2026, with BTC trading at $87,330 at press time.

On Dec. 17, veteran trader Peter Brandt shared a weekly XRP chart on X highlighting what he described as a potential double-top structure with a neckline around $2.00 and a measured move pointing toward roughly $0.40 if fully triggered. At the same time, another trader emphasized XRP’s weekly RSI near 33, a zone that has coincided with prior lows, while XRP was trading around $1.83 as the market weighed whether the breakdown below support will hold or reverse.

On Dec. 17, analyst Will Taylor of CryptoinsightUK argued that XRP has returned to the lower end of a long‑standing trading range between about $2.01 and $1.60, which he views as the most attractive area for risk‑to‑reward entries. He highlighted a remaining liquidity pocket around $1.83, discussed adjusting his stop loss near $1.79, and identified a reclaim of roughly $2.07 as a potential trigger for a rapid move toward $2.58–$2.60. At the time of his remarks, XRP was trading near $1.92, and he framed both the asset and the wider crypto market as deeply discounted relative to traditional assets.

On Dec. 11, Glassnode researcher CryptoVizArt reported via X that a 5–7 year old XRP wallet with a ~$0.40 cost basis realized over $721.5 million in profit as price weakened near the $2.0 level. XRP later traded at $1.89, and traders are watching whether the repeatedly tested $2–$1.90 support zone holds into the weekly close.

In a Dec. 15 post, YouTuber Graham Stephan argued that an unwind of the yen carry trade could drain liquidity and pressure risk assets, including Bitcoin. He outlined the trade's mechanics—borrowing near 0% in Japan and buying 4-5% U.S. yields—and claimed the Fed has cut rates for the third time this year and ended QT. BTC was $87,082 at press time.

In a video shared on X on Dec. 13, technical analyst Quantum Ascend argued that Cardano’s ADA price structure resembles its 2020 setup, and outlined targets as high as $10.40 for a future bull run. He described a large, time-based corrective triangle on the weekly chart and highlighted a conservative zone around $4.88–$5.50, while ADA was trading near $0.4022 at the time. The analyst pointed to multiple technical confluence levels, past fractal-like behavior and comparisons with Ethereum Classic as supporting evidence for a potential move into the $10 area.

Hashdex released its 2026 crypto investment outlook, with CIO Samir Kerbage suggesting most investors consider a 5–10% crypto allocation. The report projects stablecoins rising from roughly $295 billion to well over $500 billion and tokenized RWAs reaching about $400 billion by end-2026, while AI-focused crypto grows from around $3 billion to $10 billion. A portfolio test shows adding the Nasdaq Crypto Index US to a 60/40 improved risk-adjusted returns, albeit with deeper drawdowns.

On December 12, 2025, social‑media figure Young Hoon Kim posted "I buy XRP from now on" on X, marking his first direct XRP nod after days of Bitcoin‑focused commentary. He has not provided a public rationale for the shift. At press time, XRP traded at $2.04.